Trolley.



l PATENTBD NOV. 1, 1904. W. R. COOPER.

TROLLEY.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 21, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

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N e/L UNITED STATES Patented November I, 1904.l

PATENT OFFICE.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 774,043, dated November 1, 1904. Application filed May 21, 1904. Serial No. 208,993. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM RUSSELL COOPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East St. Louis, in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Trolley, of which the I'ol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My. invention relates to trolleys, my object being to produce certain improvements in construction and operation, as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure lis a side elevation showing my invention as applied to an electric car used Jfor purposes of switching. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the trolley-pole and its accompanying parts. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the trolley-harp and a portion of the trolley-pole; and Fig. I is a plan View of the pivot-plate, showing certain parts in section upon the line l 4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow.

The pivot-plate is shown at 5 and is secured rigidly in position by means of bolts 6. This pivot-plate is provided-with a circular raised portion 7, provided with a recess 8 of angular form, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. A swinging frame 9 is provided with a base l() and with a projecting boss 10u oi' the shape indicated in Figs. 2 and 4, this boss normally occupying a portion oi' the recess 8 and being free to move angularly therein, so as to allow the frame 9 to have a limited degree of motion relatively to the pivot-plate 5. This swinging frame is pivoted upon a pin 11, provided with a head 12. Integrally connected with the frame 9 and projecting upwardly therefrom are walls 13. A horizontal pivot 14: passes through these walls and supports a tubular member 15, which is free to rock thereupon. Mounted within the tubular member 15 is a head 15, secured thereto by means of bolts 16 and free to swing longitudinally oi' the general direction oi' the frame 9. Spiral springs 16 17 are connected with opposite portions oil the head 15 andare secured `per member oi' the key 21.

to eyebolts y18 19, mounted withinthe respective ends of the frame 9. An inner telescopic member 17 is encircled by a sleeve 18", of insulating material, this sleeve iitting into the member l5. Metallic bolts 19n pass through the telescopic member 17L and also through the member l5, being insulated from these parts by means oi' insulating-sleeves 20, as indicated more particularly in Fig. 2. A key 21 is rigidly connected with the telescopic member 17, which is of tubular form. An outer telescopic member' 22, also oi' tubular form, is provided at its lower end with a gland 23, and in this gland are disposed a metallic collar24L and a graphite packing 25. The gland is threaded upon the telescopic member 22 and when screwed iirmly into position grips the metallic collar and lgraphite ring closely together, the arrangement being such that the graphite ring exerts a general pressure upon the inner telescopic member 17 a, so as to form a water-tight joint. The gland 23 is provided with an ear 26, preferably integral therewith, and a rope 27 engages this ear for the purpose of drawing downward the gland and the outer telescopic member 22. A spool-like member`28 is provided with a threaded portion 31, engaging the inner telescopic member 17. A metallic collar 29 and a packing-ring 29, which may be made of leather, rubber, or any preferred packing material, partially encircle the portion 3l, asindicated in Fig. 2. A pair of split rings 30, preferably of copper, encircle the spool-like member 28 and also engage the outer telescopic member 22. A ring 32, of metal, loosely encircles the inner telescopic member 17a and is concentric with the outer telescopic member. This ring normally rests upon the up- Disposed Within the outer telescopic member 22 is a disk 33, rigidly connected thereto by means of screws 34. A spiral spring 35 is partially compressed and engages the disk 33 andmthe spool-like member 28.

The trolley-harp is shown at36and is provided with a collar 37, integral therewith, and

also with wings 36a, the collar 87 engaging tlie outer tubular member 22. A revoluble roller 38 is journaled within the harp 36, be-

ing provided with journals 89 for the purl pose. Leaf-springs 4() are connected with the trolley-harp 36 and press gently upon the outer ends of the journals 39. Current is supplied from the trolley-wire 35A downward through the pole and from the binding-post 42 and conductor 43 to the motor-brushes 44 or' the car 45.

My invention is used as follows: Suppose the trolley-pole and the contact mechanism carried thereby to be mounted upon a car used for switching. As shown in Fig'. 1. the trolley-pole 22 has less inclination than usual, preferably occupying an angle approximating that indicated in Fig. l. If now the direction of movement ot' the car be reversed, the outer telescopic member 22 moves downward in relation to the inner telescopic member 17, so that the pole virtually becomes a little shorter, and is thus Erst raised verticallyT and then inclined in the opposite direction to that in which it was iirst inclined. It is not necessary. therefore, to remove the roller 38 from the trolley-wire or, indeed, to move by hand any part of themechanism, the reversal of the trolley being purely automatic. The trolleypole may be shortened by excessive pressure upon its upper end and is free to lengthen to. its normal proportion by tension of the spring 35. As the several packings constitute water-tight joints and as the outer telescopic member 22 is closed at its upper end, no water can enter any of the joints. Neither can the telescopic members move relatively to each other about a vertical axis, because of the action ot' the key 21. rI`he wings 36a extend above the uppersurface of the roller 88 and also above the upper surface of the trolley-wire, as indicated more particularly in Fig. 2. The object of this arrangement is to prevent the roller 38 from striking' any of the span-wires. Should the trolley be unable to otherwise pass a spanwire, the wings 36 guide the roller downward, so as to prevent engagement of the same. If for any reason it is desired to pull down .the roller 38, all that is necessary is to pull upon the rope 27, which causes the outer telescopic member to travel downwardly in the general direction of its length.

It will be noted that the graphite packing 25 and the metallic rings 80 constitute Very efficient electrical connections between the telescopic members 17lL and 22. By virtue of this arrangement the conductivity is greatly increased and the tendency to spark is correspondingly lessened.

In Fig. 1 I show a very elicient contact between the inner and outer telescopic members. The flexible conductor 351 is permanently secured to the disk 83 and the spoollike member 28 and is free to be lengthened or shortened, according to the relative movements between the inner and outer telescopic members.

By this means the conductivity is i 'as vgood as could be attained under any circumstances, there being no loose joints whatever across which the current need flow.

The use of the graphite packing' 25 insures thorough lubrication between the inner and outer telescopic members, so that the device offers a minimum of friction. It will be noted that the springs 16 17 may be comparatively light, for the reason that there are aplurality of these springs, the cumulative tendency of which is to raise the trolley-pole into a vertical position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a trolley, the combination of two parts slidably iitted together, means for rendering said parts water-tight, and contact mechanism mounted upon one of said parts.

2. In a trolley, the combination of inner and outer telescopic members, contact mechanisms mounted upon one of said members, and metallic rings mounted upon one of said members and loosely engaging the other for the purpose of increasing the conductivity as between said members.

3. In a trolley, the combination of a contact member and a pole for supplying current therefrom to a motor, said pole being made in two parts, one of said parts slidably fitting into the other, means for rendering the two parts of said pole water-tight, and a spring for tensioning said parts relatively to each other.

4. In a trolley, the combination of inner and outer telescopic members slidably con- IOO nected together, means for rendering' the same water-tight, a .key for preventing' rotation of one of said parts relatively to the other, means for tensioning' one of said parts relatively to the other, and contact mechanism carried by one of said parts.

5. In a trolley, the combination of inner and outer telescopic members, contact mechanism carried by one of said members, means controllable at will :for changing the relative position otone ot said members relatively to the other, and a packing for rendering said members water-tight relatively to each other.

6. In a trolley, the combination of a pivotplate provided with a recess, a frame pivotally mounted upon said plate and provided with a portion engaging said recess for the purpose of limiting the play of said frame relatively to said pivot-plate, a pivot-pin connecting said pivot-plate and said frame together, and contact mechanism supported by said frame for the purpose of engaging a conductor.

7. In a trolley,the combination of inner and outer telescopic members, a flexible conductor in electrical connection With said inner and outer members, and a spring for automatically tensioning said members relatively to each other independent of said iiexible member.

8. In a trolley, the combination of inner In testimony Whereoi-Ihavesigned my name and outer telescopio members slidably fitted to this specification in the presence of'two subtogether, a. key for preventing angular movesoribing Witnesses.

ment as between said members, means for ren- WILLIAM RUSSELL COOPER. 5 dering said members Water-tight, and Contact Witnesses:

mechanism mounted upon one of said mern- MINERVA SCOTT.

bers. l H. E. MEINTZ. 

